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Not as described - or is it? What should I do?
v8kid - 13/1/15 at 09:04 AM

Hi Chaps,

I need some advice on what would be a reasonable attitude to take.

I bought a Smart UPS from CCLonline through ebay as we have frequent power interruptions being supplied by an overhead network.

I bought new rather than secondhand or refurbished as I thought I could get the most recent software that would automatically save any program that was open which is important to me as I am writing up my thesis over the next 6 months.

Well the software supplied is not compatible with Windows 7 and states this on the minidisc supplied. However the ad blurb on the box says it is and the seller made a blanket statement saying software was available.

There is no manufacturers address anywhere on the unit, box or instructions and the sellers CCLonline directed me to a competitors (APC) website to download software - which as it turns out will not recognise the SmartUPS

Now the UPS works and gives backup power for 35 minutes if the PC is switched on and for a few hours for the wifi and modem if not. You may say I should backup whenever I leave the pc and if I am working on it its no hassle to backup when the power goes down - which is reasonable.

But I wanted the bells and whistles! I wanted to be able to see via software what power I was using and how much battery capacity was left. There is also the issue that the software has an option to ignore loads less than 10% of the max and switch off - i.e, the modem and wifi. As supplied this option is disabled but we all know how gremlins get in and without software I'm buggered if this happens.

I'm not going to return it but am I justified in asking for some money back - how much? Further surely CCLonline should make clear on ebay that the unit is not compatable with Windows7.

What should I do?

Chris_Xtreme - 13/1/15 at 09:36 AM

why not try and get some money back..., but I guess you will have to say to them money back or take it all back. It doesn't do as described, so it is not fit for purpose.

what is the the ebay add so I can see the product etc?

from it I might be able to help you get it working in win 7.


have you proven that windows does see it and recognises when it is on battery and does do a graceful shut down ?

mookaloid - 13/1/15 at 09:48 AM

could you install a virtual copy of say windows XP which could talk to the UPS?

v8kid - 13/1/15 at 10:31 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Chris_Xtreme
why not try and get some money back..., but I guess you will have to say to them money back or take it all back. It doesn't do as described, so it is not fit for purpose.

what is the the ebay add so I can see the product etc?

from it I might be able to help you get it working in win 7.


have you proven that windows does see it and recognises when it is on battery and does do a graceful shut down ?


This was the ad "Powercool Smart UPS 1000VA 3 x UK Plug, 2 x IEC, RJ45 x 2, USB LED Display
Brand New UK Stock from The Official CCL Store On eBay"

Windows does not see it at all and simply crashes when the batteries exhaust!

v8kid - 13/1/15 at 10:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
could you install a virtual copy of say windows XP which could talk to the UPS?


Dunno? How tricky is it to install a virtual copy and will it work in the background when I am using 7? As I understand it the power saving protocol is quite different in 7 hence the problem.

Also i want it to work automatically without having to faff around if I had wanted to do that I'd have bought an older refurb unit.

Ta for the suggestion anyhow

Cheers!

r1_pete - 13/1/15 at 10:58 AM

Test the claim on their listing:

Clearly if it says win 7 support on the box, but the disc says different, something is wrong, maybe its just the wrong disc in the package......

Five Star Promise

Your satisfaction is our No. 1 priority. We trust it is most unlikely, but if we fail to meet your expectation in any way at all, we ask you to contact us directly and let us earn your five-star approval.

eBay encourage direct communication, and much prefer you contact us directly before opening a case.

rgrs - 13/1/15 at 12:40 PM

Does the disc have the usb drivers on it ? If you can get the pc to recognise it's a ups then windows 7 gives options in power settings to shut down. Therefore you shouldn't need to run the software

Roger

Chris_Xtreme - 13/1/15 at 12:47 PM

quote:
Originally posted by r1_pete
Test the claim on their listing:

Clearly if it says win 7 support on the box, but the disc says different, something is wrong, maybe its just the wrong disc in the package......

Five Star Promise

Your satisfaction is our No. 1 priority. We trust it is most unlikely, but if we fail to meet your expectation in any way at all, we ask you to contact us directly and let us earn your five-star approval.

eBay encourage direct communication, and much prefer you contact us directly before opening a case.




this would be quite hard work and iffy.. the usb connection would need to be passed through to the win xp machine and xp monitors it. when the power goes, software in xp knows this and would then have to have admin rights to get back down to the win 7 machine to run a script to shut it down. doable, but I would say not reliable.

Chris_Xtreme - 13/1/15 at 01:18 PM

so I have something a bit different, I have an old APC one which is serial based and win 7 can't deal with natively and has to use APC drivers and software.

From Vista onwards it seems MS removed the in built UPS software/services and changed the model for it to just act like a laptop, ie a desktop with a battery, but only over usb.

so you have plugged the usb lead in and win 7 found a usb device? did it manage to find a driver?

If so have a go at following this article to at least see if you can get it to have a power plan that works with a battery and show you how full the battery is:

http://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/feature/Installing-configuring-and-testing-a-UPS-for-Windows-7

I can't quickly find who the manufacturer of this UPS is and thus can't find what interface board and what software might work.

A UPS that can't tell the pc to shutdown is edging on pointless, unless you are always sat there when it is on and can act if you hear the beep, they can get pretty pricey, so I can understand why you are thinking of just keeping it.

let us know how you get on..

Chris

Theshed - 13/1/15 at 01:46 PM

Within the last 7 days? If so use your Distance Selling Regulation rights to send it back for a full refund. If you were not informed of those rights then make that 3 months. Google it.